Alyce Robertson Has Mended Fences Now Sees Chance To Get Results As Downtown Development Authority Chief

All eyes were on Miami’s Downtown Development Authority when Alyce Robertson stepped in as interim director earlier this year. A Macy’s executive’s public criticism of the state of downtown thrust the agency into the spotlight in the summer of 2007, leading to ongoing public scrutiny. A critical audit of the agency followed, and its head resigned.

But Ms. Robertson, officially named executive director this month, is a "fixer," she says. After 29 years in Miami-Dade County government — and a lifetime spent as one of seven children — she’s learned to work as part of a team to navigate problems.

In her short time at the authority, she’s hit the ground running, expanding enhancement teams, pushing for better code enforcement and meeting with stakeholders to flesh out their needs.

For Ms. Robertson, it’s all about doing — planning is important, but then "let’s roll up our sleeves and do it," she says. She envisions downtown becoming a bustling, 24-hour urban center and hopes that one day the automatic answer to the question "what’s your favorite city?" is "Miami."

Ms. Robertson was interviewed in the development authority’s downtown offices by Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky. This is an excerpt from the weekly profile article published in Miami Today. To read the entire article in full, order this issue or subscribe to the print edition of Miami Today.